August 15, 2006

Because the signs and symptoms of endometriosis are nonspecific, the preferred diagnostic method is surgical visual inspection of pelvic organs with histologic confirmation. Oral contraceptive pills and medroxyprogesterone acetate are first-line treatments. There is limited…

Grapefruit can affect the metabolism of some medications including statins, antiarrhythmic agents, immunosuppressants, and calcium channel blockers. Family physicians should be aware of which medications may interact with grapefruit and of alternatives for these medications.

Digoxin has been considered a fundamental therapy for heart failure. However, data bring into question the safety of this therapy, including the optimal serum digoxin concentration and the use of this therapy in women.

Early diagnosis and treatment of rickets can normalize biochemical abnormalities and prevent complications that may require surgical intervention.

Reader surveys are a valuable way to assess what readers want in AFP and to learn more about their reading habits. We conduct several surveys ourselves each year, but we also pay to obtain results of surveys conducted by an outside company on behalf of advertisers, ad agencies…

Selected policy and health issues news briefs from AAFP News Now.

Supersizing a fast-food combo meal can add inches to your waistline and make your wallet a whole lot leaner, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. The average cost to upgrade a combo meal is $0.67, but each meal also comes with a possible 36…

The review,1 “Rickets: Not a Disease of the Past,” by Nield and colleagues in this issue of American Family Physician is an important reminder that changes in lifestyle can cause the reappearance of disease states that were thought to have been eradicated. In one study more…

Survival prognoses for older adults may help patients and physicians make decisions about screening, treatment, and advance directives.

Case study: A 57-year-old man visits your office for refills of simvastatin (Zocor) and paroxetine (Paxil). He says his friend had “a bypass operation on the arteries in his legs,” and asks if you think he should be “checked for that disease.” He has never had symptoms of…

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

Acamprosate is a safe and well-tolerated treatment for patients with alcoholism and it appears to improve the likelihood that patients will remain abstinent. Most evidence suggests it is as effective as naltrexone but with fewer adverse reactions, and that it may be more…

Recommendations on the influenza vaccination of health care professionals have been released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices…

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued updated guidelines for the use of influenza vaccine and antiviral agents for prophylaxis and treatment of influenza A.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a report detailing the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of ESRD in the United States, accounting for 44 percent of new cases in 2002.

Endometriosis (say: en-doh-me-tree-OH-sis) is a problem with the tissue that lines your uterus. Normally, every month when you have your period, this tissue comes out in your menstrual flow. If you have endometriosis, tissue grows on your ovaries, abdominal wall, bladder, or…

A medicine interaction is when a medicine or food changes how another medicine works.

Rickets is a bone problem that affects children. It happens when your child’s bones do not form correctly. Rickets can make your child’s bones hurt, and the bones can bend and break easily.